High 5 Hospitality was founded in 2004 when three guys teamed up to introduce the Buffalo Wild Wings® franchise concept to Delaware.  Their timing was perfect. In the past 20 years Buffalo Wild Wings® has grown from less than 50 restaurants to more than 1200 locations today.  Success has not been without its adversities. Within six weeks of opening the first restaurant, Thom Kreusch, one of the founders, died unexpectedly. It was a huge personal setback for the entrepreneurs.

But success is not measured by how many times you get knocked down; it’s about how many times you get back up. In 2005, owners Bobby Pancake and Steve Wheat were named New Franchise of the Year by the BWW Corporation. In 2009, Bobby Pancake received the Founders Award from Buffalo Wild Wings®, recognizing the individual who best personifies the vision, enthusiasm, work ethic, and humility of the chain’s late founder, Jim Disbrow. In 2011, Bobby Pancake and Steve Wheat were named Restaurateurs of the Year by the Delaware Restaurant Association. Most recently, Bobby and Steve were named Buffalo Wild Wings Franchise of the Year in 2020.  

The H5H independent restaurant portfolio began in 2014 when a local watering hole, 16 Mile Taphouse, went up for sale. During the purchase negotiation, the entrepreneurs acquired the rights to the locally famous Stone Balloon® that once stood at the same address. Six months after purchasing the bar, they locked the doors, revamped the interior, and erected a new sign paying homage to Delaware history. The Stone Balloon Ale House was born. 

In 2018, H5H’s second independent restaurant, Limestone BBQ and Bourbon®, was open for business, followed shortly by Eggspectation® Christiana in 2019. In 2021, High 5 Hospitality welcomed five Jersey Mike’s to the brand. To date, H5H operates eight Buffalo Wild Wings® in Delaware and Maryland, five Jersey Mike’s in Delaware, two independent brands in Delaware and is a US franchisee of the Eggspectation® Restaurant Concept.

High 5 Hospitality

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